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Men's Rugby League England to play Test matches in the States over the next three years

ENGLAND’S groundbreaking Test match against New Zealand in Colorado was given the go-ahead today and will be the first of three meetings in the United States over the next three years.

The match between reappointed head coach Wayne Bennett’s England and the Kiwis will be staged at the Mile High Stadium in Denver on June 23, with a local 2pm kick-off.

The international, which has been organised and funded by Australian promoter Jason Moore to raise the profile of rugby league before the 2025 World Cup in the US, will go ahead despite opposition from some NRL clubs concerned over player welfare.

The match will take place on a blank weekend in Super League which was set aside for the Pacific Test series in Sydney and a stand-alone State of Origin match.

It has the unqualified support of Bennett, a strong advocate of the international game whose England side travelled to Sydney last summer to take on Samoa.

He said: “For us to grow stronger as a group and build on the progress of last year, these are the games we need to be involved in.

“We saw the benefits of taking on Samoa mid-season ahead of the World Cup.

“We hear people talking about growing the game and this is the perfect opportunity to take two of the world’s elite nations over to a country that loves sport and entertainment.”

Amid reports that clubs will face fines for refusing to release players, organisers say they will bring together medical experts to work through difficulties of playing at high altitude and will work closely with the Australia-based Rugby League Players Association who have raised their concerns.

RFL interim chief executive Ralph Rimmer said: “Successful World Cup tournaments and the entry of Toronto Wolfpack into the British competition have increased the popularity of the international game and we are all keen to take advantage of this and grow our sport across the world.”

It will be England’s first game in the US since they played their hosts in an unofficial Test in Orlando in October 2000 when current England team manager Jamie Peacock and assistant coach Paul Wellens took part.

The NZRL has also announced that its three-Test series in England in the autumn will be followed by a one-off Test against France on November 17 at a venue still to be determined.

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